Month: June 2011

Perhaps now Tom Milone is starting to get the attention he deserves, as one of our favorites here will be representing Syracuse in the 2011 International League All-Star Game in Salt Lake City on July 13.

The 24-year-old southpaw currently sports a 6-5, 3.41 ERA in 14 starts and leads the league in strikeouts. For folks more interested in new-school numbers, Milone leads the league in FIP (2.15, ahead of Julio Teheran), second to Teheran in WHIP, the lowest walk rate (0.50/9IP), and sports a 19:1 K/BB ratio.

Last, but not least, Milone was the first prospect that I scouted for this site when it was founded by Jordan Tuwiner of Orioles-Nation.com. He’s a favorite of mine because he’s not the blow-it-by-you thrower, but a pitcher who just gets guys out and has sensational control (that 2.14BB/9 is the worst year of his career; his career average is 1.43). And FWIW, not too shabby a hitter, either (.333BA this season, .233 career).

Yunesky Maya was hit hard during a four-run sixth inning rally in a 7-3 loss to the Indianapolis Indians. He was tagged for a leadoff homer by Brian Friday, a single, a walk, a two run triple by Miles Durham, and an RBI double by Gorkys Hernandez. Syracuse had built a 2-0 lead. In the third, a rehabbing Rick Ankiel (2B, 2R) hit a leadoff double and later scored on a sac fly. In the fifth, Ankiel reached on a two-base error by Miles Durham on a dropped line drive, was sacrificed over by Steve Lombardozzi (1-3, nine-game IL debut hit streak), and was driven in by a Matt Antonelli single. Indianapolis extended its lead to 7-3 with two runs off Ryan Tatusko in the seventh and Friday’s second homer of the game and the season. With the loss, Syracuse falls to 33-44, good for a fourth-place tie in the North Division of the International League, twelve games back.

In the resumption of yesterday’s suspended game, Harrisburg jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind five and 2/3rds shutout innings from staff ace Brad Peacock. Peacock gave up only one hit, striking out six and walking three before Rafael Martin came into strand Peacock’s runner at third as part of his one and 1/3rd innings of relief. Harrisburg scored its first run on a Tim Pahuta homer in the fifth. In the seventh, Chris McConnell landed the key blow for Harrisburg, a two-run double that scored Archie Gilbert and Pahuta. Pat McCoy yielded two runs before Pat Lehman came in for the four-out save, his second, to give Harrisburg a 3-2 win. Harrisburg improved its record to 44-32, good for a four-game lead in the Eastern League’s Western Division over Richmond.

Hagerstown scored two painful first inning runs against Lakewood. Wade Moore and Adrian Sanchez were hit by pitches before Bryce Harper reached on a fielding error to load the bases in front of a Jason Martinson one-out sac fly. With two outs and the bases loaded, Brett Newsome walked to plate Sanchez. Hagerstown’s four errors did its pitching staff no favors. In the third a fielding error by shortstop Jason Martinson led to an unearned run against starter Taylor Jordan. In the fourth, a throwing error on a pickoff attempt and a missed catch by Michael Taylor led to two more unearned runs. The good news for Shane McCatty was that he stranded the bases loaded to keep the score 3-2 for Taylor Jordan. The bad news is that he gave up three runs of his own in an eventful 8th inning that featured an ejection of Hagerstown pitching coach Chris Michalak. Recently demoted Dean Weaver gave up a run in the 9th to close the scoring at 7-2 in a Hagerstown loss. With the loss, Hagerston falls to 4-3, good for a three-way tie for second place, one game back in the early second half of the Sally League 2011 campaign.

Auburn couldn’t capitalize on the seven walks and three errors given to them by Williamsport, falling 7-3. The Doubledays stranded 13 runners and were a woeful 2-for-14 with RISP. Russell Moldenhauer went 2-for-3 to lead the nine-hit attack, as both he, Jimenez and Skole extended their hit streaks to 10 games apiece. “Vote For” Pedro Encarnacion started and went the first four innings, but gave up three runs on five hits and two walks. Neither reliever (Alex Kreis and Chris Jenkins) was effective, as both men gave up two runs in two innings. The loss drops Auburn to 8-5, good for second place in the Pinckney Divison, and one game behind the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

Brandon King rebounded from a beatdown last time out to throw five perfect innings, striking out four, as the GCL Nationals tripled up the GCL Astros 6-2 in a rain-shortened contest. Chris Curran and Wes Shill each had two hits, while Wander Ramos drove in three to pace the offense, which somehow managed to score six times on eight hits while going 1-for-12 with RISP. The GCL Nats are now 4-4 in the GCL East, one game behind the GCL Mets.

The DSL Phillies only scored once in eight innings, but the five-spot they put up on the board held up for a 5-3 win over the DSL Nationals. Felix Moscat gave up all five runs over his three innings pitched, giving up four hits and three walks while setting down two on strikes. Wilmer Difo led the offense with a 3-for-4 game, doubling and homering while scoring two runs. The loss snapped a modest three-game win streak and drops the D-Nats to 12-15 in the Boca Chica South, 5½ games behind the DSL Rangers and DSL Yankees1.

A 4-3 win in extras for Potomac to open the 2nd half’s first homestand

In a see-saw battle, Destin Hood delivered the walkoff hit with a single to left to give Potomac a 4-3 win in 10 innings to kick off the first homestand of the second half.

Batting ninth, Eury Perez drew a leadoff walk in the tenth and went to third on a Francisco Soriano double to set up the gamewinner. Winston-Salem elected not to walk Jeff Kobernus, pulling the infield in instead. Kobernus grounded to second, the ball ricocheting off the Dash infielder’s chest momentarily but he recovered to throw out his Potomac counterpart. Hood, the team leader in OBP, worked the count to 2-1 before pulling the ball into left to send Perez home for the gamewinner.

Evan Bronson took the hill in place of the expected Trevor Holder on three days’ rest from his last outing, a relief appearance on Saturday in Kinston in which he surrendered six hits over two innings and faced 14 batters. It was his sixth start in 13 games, as Bronson has pinballed between long relief starting since making three consecutive starts in early May.

Suffice it to say, it was a bit of a surprise to see him take the mound in the top of the seventh after Potomac had taken the lead in the bottom of the sixth. It was not a surprise to see a tired pitcher give back a 3-2 lead with a leadoff home run. Perhaps Potomac had just played back-to-back extra-inning games, but with a fresh arm in the bullpen, the expected move was for a reliever to come in and start building the bridge to the ninth.

Bronson would recover from the circle clout to get the next three out (hey, that rhymes) but would miss the chance to get the win.

Offensively, Potomac would grind out 11 hits, with Justin Bloxom, Sandy Leon, and J.P. Ramirez each going 2-for-4 while Steve Souza and Justino Cuevas both rapped RBI doubles. Souza’s shot to the warning track in left-center would open up the scoring in the second while Cuevas’s tomahawked shot down the left field line gave the P-Nats the aforementioned 3-2 lead.

The whispers were true: Neil Holland came on in the top of the 8th and announced his presence with authority. Not with a 95-mph heater, but by striking out the first three batters he faced with his unusual, not-quite-sidearm delivery that had Winston-Salem batters baffled. He would go two innings and retire all six batters he faced.

Rob Wort pitched the 10th and got the win, aided by a spectacular catch from Perez in deep left-center to open the frame and running dash to the LF line by Ramirez before Kobernus got a routine grounder to end it.

The win puts Potomac at 3-4 for the second half, tied for first place with Frederick and Wilmington, with Paul Demny set to take the hill against Jacob Petricka, who’s making his High-A debut.

There have been multiple whispers about a Suns pitcher being promoted to Potomac, but I have yet to get an official confirmation. With a home game tonight, I’ll be on the watch for an unfamiliar face and/or uniform number in the ‘pen. As always, if I learn anything before I leave tonight or see anything overnight, I’ll post an update in this space.

UPDATE: As first identified in our comments, Neil Holland was indeed the pitcher moved from the Hagerstown to the Potomac roster. Of course, no corresponding moves were listed on MiLB.com, which has been par for the course this season.

UPDATE #2: The shoes have dropped for the P-Nats, as Jose Lozada and Trevor Holder were placed on the 7-Day DL. The two moves leave the Potomac roster at 24, which is one short of the Carolina league limit. Eighth-round pick Gregory Holt was assigned to the Auburn Doubledays, which is at 29, one short of the NYPL limit.

Rosters for the 2011 Eastern League All-Star Team were announced today and five Harrisburg Senators made the squad:

• RHP Erik Arnesen

• RHP Brad Peacock

• 1B Tyler Moore

• OF-1B Bill Rhinehart

• OF Archie Gilbert

The 2011 E.L. All Star Game will be held at the home stadium of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on July 13th. Peacock was also named to the Futures Game that will be held on July 10th at the home stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is believed to be the first All Star team honors for for all but Archie Gilbert, who Arnesen, Peacock and Moore. Archie Gilbert was named to 2010 Southern League All-Star Game for Midland, while Rhinehart was a 2008 Sally League All-Star for Hagerstown.

Indianapolis jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead against Syracuse on a John Bowker three-run homer. Syracuse began its comeback in the second when Craig Stammen (2-3, R, RBI) hit a two out RBI single to score Jeff Frazier. Syracuse jumped to a 4-3 lead with a three-run, two-out rally in the third with a Chris Marrero walk, a Jesus Flores RBI double, a Frazier walk, and a decisive two run double by Seth Bynum. In the bottom of the fourth, Syracuse added two more in a rally capped off by a Marrero single that scored Steve Lombardozzi. Stammen would eventually give up a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth when Atahualpa Severino failed to strand a runner on second with one out. Zech Zinicola pitched two scoreless innings of relief in his first Syracuse outing of 2011. After the Chiefs extended their lead to 8-5 with a two-run eighth inning rally, Josh Wilkie pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the victory.

Harrisburg-Richmond — SUSP.
Harrisburg’s game with Richmond was suspended in the middle of the first. They will resume the suspended game tomorrow with Brad Peacock starting/relieving for the Senators in the 2nd. Tomorrow’s regularly scheduled game will be played as part of two seven-inning doubleheader games on Friday, July 22nd in Richmond.

For the second game in a row, Potomac’s bullpen blew a ninth-inning lead. Unlike Monday night, this time they fell in extras, 5-4. Marcos Frias surrendered back-to-back home runs for his third blown save, ruining the best outing thus far from Adam Olbrychowski, who had allowed just one run on four hits and two walks over the first six and 2/3rds innings. Mitchell Clegg took the look loss as the sole P-Nat error of the night put the last runner into scoring position with one out, a lineout to center moved him up with two outs, and a single to left sent him in. J.P. Ramirez led the 11-hit attack with a single, double, and a solo HR, his 6th of the season but his first in 31 games (May 19).

Michael Taylor and Kevin Keyes get the glory, as Taylor’s HR tied it in the ninth and Keyes’s big fly won it in the 14th as Hagerstown outlasted Lakewood, 4-3. The real credit, however, should go to the Suns ‘pen for throwing nine (9) scoreless innings to make both HRs possible, with just three hits and two walks allowed between Paul Applebee, Wilson Eusebio, Ben Graham and Sam Brown, who got the win as the last man on the mound. Matt Grace started and went the first five, giving up all three BlueClaws runs on five his and a walk. Keyes went 3-for-6 on the night, homering in the 2nd and singling in the 5th, while Mills Rogers went 2-for-4 with a double. Taylor’s two-run blast was his only hit in 5 ABs. Bryce Harper was held out of the lineup for another night with a bone bruise on his left thumb, Adam Kilgore tweeted last night

An 88-minute rain delay couldn’t cool the Doubleday offense, which put up six runs on eight hits for a 6-1 win over Williamsport. Wirkin “For The Weekend” Estevez went the first five innings and allowed the sole Crosscutter run on four hits and a walk while striking out five for his second win of the season. Blake Monar and Richie Mirowski each tossed two scoreless innings in relief. Russell Moldenhauer (2-for-4), Andy Skole (1-for-3), and Hendry Jimenez (1-for-5) each extended their nine-game hitting streaks.

Erick Fernandez’s two-run home run in the bottom of the second was all the offense could muster, but strong pitching by Adalaberto Mieses and Christian Meza made it stand up for a 2-1 victory. Mieses allowed the lone run on three hits and three walks over the first five for the win, while Mesa tossed four scoreless innings, also allowing three hits, but walking just one. The defense committed just one error while turning two double plays. Rick Ankiel and Chris Curran both singled while Estarlin Martinez doubled as the G-Nats were held to just four hits total.

Randy Novas’s two-run shot in the top of the 7th broke a 3-3 tie as the DSL Nationals held on for a 5-4 win over the DSL Mets1 squad, their third straight win. Jesus Guzman got the starting nod and went the first four innings, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk. Wander Suero got the win in relief, while Jorge Hernandez got the save. “Fred” Ortega and Novas both went 2-for-4 to pace the D-Nats attack, which took advantage of four D-Mets errors and seven walks surrendered.

Eight dominant shutout innings from Tom Milone and an offensive outpouring of 19 hits were more than enough to lead Syracuse to an 11-2 victory over the Rochester Red Wings. A masterful Milone retired the first seventeen batters he faced. Jesus Flores was 0-5; every other Chiefs starter had at least two hits in the rout. Corey Brown had the big blow with a three-run homer in a four run fourth inning. Syracuse sent ten men to the plate in a five-run 8th inning, starting the inning with eight consecutive hits. Syracuse has now won four of its last five games to improve to 32-43, 12 games back in the International League’s North division.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels opened the game with four consecutive hits in a four-run first. Harrisburg starter Tanner Roark settled down to allow only one more run in a five-inning outing, but the damage had been done. Derek Norris scored in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Chris McConnell. In the seventh, Tyler Moore singled in Josh Johnson and Bill Rhinehart, who had doubled earlier in the frame, closing the gap to 5-3. Jimmy Barthmaier and a recently demoted Hassan Pena gave up four runs in the bottom of the frame as Richmond put the game out of reach on its way to a comfortable 9-3 win.

After an 88-minute delay to start the game, a blown save in the ninth sent this to extras, but Potomac prevailed ’round midnight for a 5-2 victory in 11 innings. It was a small-ball fest in the 11th as a bunt single, a beat-out chopper and a walk put runners on, while a double steal and an error, a squeeze play, and a line-drive single drove them in for the margin of victory. P-Nats ace Danny Rosenbaum returned to action with a solid six-inning start, allowing just one run over six inings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six. Hector Nelo got the dreaded BS-W, Joe Testa and Rob Wort channeled Nuke LaLoosh with a 3BB & 3K eleventh for the hold and save, respectively.

A.J. Cole pitched a solid five innings in relief of a rehabbing Chien Ming-Wang for his second win of the season, as the Suns cracked the BlueClaws, 5-2. Cole allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out six. Wang put in a pedestrian three innings, allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits (two singles, a double, and a triple), no walks, and three strikeouts. It was the first regular-season appearance for Wang since signing a $2M-plus contract in February 2010. Jason Martinson led the offense with a steal and six total bases, offsetting errors no. 20 and 21 or the season to lead the nine-hit attack.

The Auburn Doubledays scored in each of the first five innings en route to a 13-8 victory over the Williamsport Crosscutters, snapping a three-game losing streak. Every starter reached base as the offense littered the field with 19 hits, with Adrian Nieto leading the way with a 4-for-5 night. Matt Skole, Russell Moldenhauer, and Hendry Jimenez all extended their current hit streaks to eight. Ryan Demmin got the win with two runs given up over six innings on three hits and two walks. Like a Kennedy at an open bar, 7th-round pick Brian Dupra got hammered in the ninth, pushed one inning too far with all five hits given up in the last 2/3rds of his two and 2/3rds innings pitched.

GCL Nationals — OFF DAY
The G-Nats look to get to .500 this week with games against the Cardinals, Astros, Mets, and Marlins.

Ivan Pineyro went the distance in a 3-0 shutout, presumably shortened by rain. The 19-y.o. went all six innings, allowing five hits, one walk, and struck out eight. Wilmer Difo paced the offense with a 2-for-3 game and two runs scored.

The Syracuse offense exploded for six runs in a third-inning rally that helped put away the Rochester Red Wings for a 7-1 win. Seven Chiefs reached base safely before Rochester recorded an out. The big blow was a Jesus Valdez grand slam that scored Gregor Blanco, Steve Lombardozzi (1-4, six-game IL debut hit streak), and Matt Antonelli. Syracuse received strong pitching from Ross Detwiler, who turned in five innings and allowed two runs to improve his June record to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 4.64. Detwiler has not allowed more than three earned runs this month (five starts), an improvement from May when he did not give up less than four in six starts. J.D. Martin and a rehabbing Chad Guadin combined to pitch four innings of scoreless relief. Jesus Flores also homered in the rout.

In Harrisburg’s best pitching performance of the season, Sharion Martis dominated the Altoona Curve in a 6-0 victory, striking out ten batters and walking none while pitching into the 9th inning. The near complete game shutout helped Martis lower his ERA to 2.37 over his last ten starts. Harrisburg did most of its damage in a four-run fourth inning that included a leadoff single by “The Godfather” Bill Rhinehart, an RBI single by hitting star Devin Ivany, a key double by Chris McConnell, and a two-out run-scoring strikeout/wild pitch of Shairon Martis. Ivany helped put the game out of reach with a two-run homer in the 8th to finish the scoring at 6-0 and complete the three-game sweep.

Poor defense offset opportunistic offense as the P-Nats lost their third straight, 5-4 to Kinston. Potomac had four runs on just four hits, as the Kinston pitchers issued five walks and hit a batter to help set up the runs. Unfortunately, four errors made four of the five runs Kinston got unearned, which is roughly the same consolation as breaking the same limb twice. Cameron Selik took the loss with four hits allowed and two walks issued over his five innings. Mitchell Clegg and Josh Smoker combined for three scoreless innings of relief and allowed just three baserunners. Justino Cuevas got three of the hits, including a two-run double, while J.R. Higley got the fourth while also driving in two runs.

A sloppy bottom of the fourth was Hagerstown’s undoing as a double error on a pickoff attempt after an RBI double turned a 3-3 tie into a 5-3 deficit as Greensboro would pile on three more runs agains the the Suns ‘pen for an 8-4 win and a split of the four-game series. Robbie Ray suffered his worst outing to date with six runs allowed on five hits (including two HRs) and two walks over four and 2/3rds innings. He also struck out six. Four Suns would get multiple hits, as the team collected 12 total, with Sean Nicol leading the way with three singles and David Freitas collecting two RBIs on a first-inning single.

A five-run seventh by Williamsport broke open a 2-1 game as the Crosscutters felled the Doubledays, 7-1. Colin Bates went the first five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while setting down three on strikes. Travis Henke was the victim of the Williamsport 7th, charged with the five runs on four hits and two walks. Russell Moldenhauer and Hendry Jimenez both went 2-for-4, hitting back-to-back doubles in the 4th for the sole Doubleday run. The loss was the third straight for Auburn, and the fourth in four home games this season.

Three straight big innings in the fourth through sixth innings put the GCL Nationals up 9-0 as they cruised to a 9-5 win over the GCL Marlins. Matt Chico went five innings for some inapparent reason, allowing two hits, no runs, one walk, and getting three strikeouts. Anthony Marcelino got hammered for the second time in as many relief appearances, allowing all five G-Marlins runs on four hits and two walks over three innings. Erick Fernandez, a 2011 25th-rd pick, and Jean Carlos Valdez both went 3-for-5 to pace the G-Nats offense, which pounded out 16 hits total.
DSL Nationals — OFF DAY
Since beginning the season 6-3, the DSL Nationals have lost 11 of the last 15 and have not won back-to-back games in nearly three weeks. After just one road game last week, it’s just one home game this week, as they look to cut into the 5½ game deficit in the Boca Chica South Division.

Syracuse completed a 10-3 suspended victory over Rochester on Saturday. Maya pitched the first three innings on Friday night. Ryan Tatusko started the resumed game, pitching four innings for the win. He was touched for two runs in the 7th, his final inning of work. Chad Guadin added a scoreless frame as he continued his Syracuse rehabbing efforts. Every Syracuse regular had at least one hit. Syracuse did most of its damage during a six-run 3rd inning on Friday. After a Lombardozzi groundout, seven consecutive Chiefs reached base safely, including a bases-loaded walk to Jeff Frazier, an RBI single by Michael Aubrey, a two-run Jesus Flores double, and an RBI single from Seth Bynum. The tenth man to bat in the inning, Lombardozzi, completed the scoring with an RBI single and giving Syracuse an 8-1 lead that would hold up for an eventual 10-3 final score.

Rochester and Syracuse matched tallies in the first and third inning to give a 2-2 score before Rochester put the game out of reach with a four-run final seventh inning. Josh Wilkie was charged with all four runs after Atahualpa Severino allowed all three runners he inherited with one out to score. Steve Lombardozzi continued his torrid start (.458/.458/.541/1.000 in 24AB) in the International League with a three-hit night and a run scored. He led off the game with a single and later scored in the inning on a Jesus Valdez RBI single. In the third inning Chris Marrero (1-3, RBI), plated Tug Hulett on an RBI single.

Tyler Moore’s fourth inning, two-run with two outs homer — scoring Josh Johnson — proved to be all the offense that Harrisburg would need in a 3-1 victory over the Altoona Curve. Erik Arnesen provided a dominant seven innings of nine-strikeout, one-walk pitching. The only run he allowed was on a two-out fielding error by Alex Valdez. Jimmy Barthmaier (H, 3) and Pat Lehman (S, 1) combined for two runs of scoreless relief.

The novelty of giving up big innings early still hasn’t worn off for the Potomac Nationals, who coughed up four runs in the first inning (all unearned, but they count on the scoreboard just the same) en route to an 11-3 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Paul Demny surrendered 11 singles and a double over six innings, allowing six runs total, while issuing a walk and striking out three. Jeff Kobernus led the offense with a 2-for-4 night, scoring twice and driving in runs with both hits. Destin Hood struck out three times but also had an RBI triple.

Hagerstown’s offense was hurt by the absence of Blake Kelso, mustering only one run in a 5-1 loss to Greensboro. Starter Sammy Solis was tagged for four runs in the first and third innings of his seven-inning start. In the first inning, a one-out double by Christian Yelich and a run-scoring wild pitch were the key at-bats in a two run inning. Greensboro had two singles and a double in a two-run third inning. A first-inning double by Adrian Sanchez and a Brett Newsome single led to Hagerstown’s only run.

Auburn’s stellar pitching returned but the offense was AWOL as the Mahoning Valley shut out Auburn 2-0 on just four hits. 10th-round draft pick Manny Rodriguez got the start and went three scoreless innings, his longest appearance of the year as it appears he’s being eased into pitching more frequently, turning the ball over to Kelvin Lopez who was touched for both of the Scrappers’ runs over his four innings. For the offense, read that last bullet point.

The shift from the NY-Penn League to the GCL was not what the doctor ordered as Silvio Medina blew the save in the 7th and lost the game in the eighth as the G-Nats fell 4-3 for their fourth straight loss. Gregory Baez got the start and went the first six innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk but struck out just one. Chris Curran and Estarlin Martinez led the offense with two hits apiece, as the G-Nats managed to get just six runners into scoring position and left on seven for the game.

This one was over early as the DSL Nationals got five straight one-out RBI singles off two DSL Marlins in a five-run first as they cruised to 10-2 victory. Gilberto Mendez (18 y.o.) is emerging as the staff ace with his second win in five starts, tossing five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.88 while allowing six hits and two walks. Adderling Ruiz led the 13-hit attack with a 3-for-5 game, including a double and two RBI.